The Golden Rule: Social Justice and the Scarboro Foreign Mission Society

Exhibition Opening and Reception with an Opening Talk: “Reflections on History to Shape the Future, 1918- 2025: The Scarboro Mission Archives at St. Michael’s College at the University of Toronto”

Dr. David Sylvester, President, University of St. Michael’s College and James Roussain, William D. Sharpe Chief Librarian and Director of Special Collections cordially invite you to the opening of the John M. Kelly Library’s newest exhibition The Golden Rule: Social Justice and the Scarboro Foreign Mission Society.

The exhibition will open with a lecture by Father Robert E. Carbonneau, C.P., Ph.D., Research Fellow of the Ricci Institute for Chinese-Western Cultural History at Boston College and Archivist of the Passionist China Collection. Fr. Carbonneau’s lectureReflections on History To Shape the Future, 1918- 2025: The Scarboro Mission Archives at St. Michael’s College at the University of Toronto, will be followed by a reception and viewing of the exhibition at the John M. Kelly Library.

Join us for a reflection on the importance of the Scarboro Mission Archives to China, 1918-1949, to the understanding of contemporary Chinese society.

Admission is free. RSVP required. Space is limited.

When and Where?

Tuesday 21 January 2025 | 6:00 pm

Lecture: Alumni Hall Room 400 | 121 St. Joseph Street | Toronto

Reception to follow at the John M. Kelly Library | 113 St. Joseph Street | Toronto

Please email james.roussain@utoronto.ca if you are experiencing difficulties registering for this event or if you have any accessibility requirements. We will work with you to make appropriate arrangements.

About the Exhibition

The John M. Kelly Library at the University of St. Michael’s College is pleased to mount an exhibition celebrating donation of the Scarboro Foreign Missions Society records to the Library’s Special Collections: Archives and Rare Books. Curated by Francesca Rousselle, this exhibition explores the evolution of justice-oriented mission work from the Society’s early efforts at poverty-alleviation, the anticipation and response to the Second Vatican Council, and the subsequent expansion of ministries focusing on economic, political, interfaith, and ecological justice. 

About the Speaker

Father Robert E. Carbonneau, C.P., Ph.D. is a Passionist priest. He is an Affiliated Research Fellow of the Ricci Institute for Chinese-Western Cultural History at Boston College where he curates the Passionist China Collection: 16,000 photographs and over 60,000 reports and correspondence which documents the Passionist coordinated mission to Hunan, China from 1921-1955. As an Adjunct Professor of Theology, he has taught “Revolutionaries, Diplomatic Theology & Catholic Missionaries in 20th Century China” and “American Asian Catholics: Journey of Faith and Theology.” 

Fr. Robert Carbonneau received his Ph.D. in American and East Asian History from Georgetown University. He has published numerous articles on the history of Catholic missionaries, the Holy See and Chinese relations. He has taught U.S., Chinese, Japanese, world, and Catholic mission history. From 2007 to 2008 he taught in Chongqing, China and from 2015 served as Executive Director of the U.S.-China Catholic Association. Father Carbonneau continues to hold the position of Passionist Historian in North America. 

About St. Michael’s College

St. Michael’s was established in 1852 by the Basilian Fathers to serve the growing Catholic population in Toronto, educating the children of immigrants who had come to Canada in search of a better life for their families. Historically rooted in the educational mission shaped by the Basilians, the Sisters from the Congregations of St. Joseph and Loretto and other key community members, St. Michael’s seeks to build a faith and learning community committed to the search for truth and meaning in our contemporary world. Our graduates are leaders in their communities, effecting positive change that respects and honours the dignity of all.